Of Saints and Angels
by mcmannusdixon
Summary: Buffy finds out who her real family is and her destiny is soon replaced by another
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – Duffy and Whedon own them, I just like to take them out of the box now and then

AN – This will only be three chapters, the main two chapters will be just the two movies. I am taking a lot of leaps of faith that PTB intervention would make things easier for her transition from a Slayer to a McMannus.

* * *

Buffy Summers was a teenager on a mission, her mom had kicked her out of the house for doing what needed to be done to save the world, not that her mother really understood that. She went to LA to see if she could stay with her dad only to have him shove the papers in her face that released him from all burdens of her. Apparently, dear of Hank was unable to have kids, so he and Joyce used a sperm bank.

She spent a few hours hacking into databases, she learned from watching Willow, just never admitted it to the red head. On the long bus ride to Boston she fell into an exhausted sleep and had a dream. All she heard was the sound of dripping water and the words echoing off of stone walls _'Destroy all that which it evil, so that which is good my flourish.'_ When she awoke she felt the same yet somehow different, she shrugged it off as poor sleep for the past few weeks and gathered her duffel bag and her jacket before exiting the bus.

She there she was now, standing outside of a bar by the name of McGinty's that looked to be closed for business for the night which was odd considering it wasn't even that late in the evening, but it was her last lead on someone who knew the man who contributed to the other half of her genetics. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door. After a few moments an elderly man with glasses on his face answered.

"Sorry my dear, we are closed. You are also looking a wee bit too y-y-young to be in here anyway." The man stuttered as he said this.

"I am sorry to bother you, it's just I am looking for a man and rumor has it, you may be able to help me locate him." The man looked back over his shoulder for a moment, then nodded slightly and then stepped aside and motioned for her to come inside as well.

"Have a seat dear and I will get you a soda, then you can tell old Doc, who it is you are looking for." Buffy sat on the bar stool that Doc gestured to and accepted the soda, she took a sip and pulled a folded up piece of paper out of her pocket.

"If you don't know, maybe you will remember him enough to be able to tell me where else I can look." The man nodded and she continued. "The man I am looking for is McMannus, Noah McMannus."  
The man paled a bit and did not have time to respond when the dulcet Irish accent came from behind her.

"And why are you looking for me then sweet pea?" Buffy turned around and looked at the man. She slid off of the stool and walked over to him, she barely came up to the middle of his chest, his hair and beard were long and grey with white sprinkled throughout. He did not smile, but his eyes were just like hers. As she looked into them she felt a click in her heart and head that she could not explain.

"I wanted to meet you. I'm not looking for money or anything, just...Sorry let me back up the train of confusion. Apparently my dad is not my dad because my mom used a sperm bank and your name was attached to the creation that is me. I only found out due to an unfortunate incident with yelling and screaming and telling me to never come back. You know how it goes." The man placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face to his and sighed.

"So I have a little girl now as well, come then. Sit down and tell me about yourself, a name would also help with this. I have some time before I have an appointment to keep."

"Look you don't have to feel obligated to get to know me or anything, it was curiosity that drove me here. Trust me, the less you know about me the more you like me."

"You are a McMannus then indeed. Now, sit." She did as she was told and sat across from Noah...her father.

"Now, your name dear?"

"Sorry. Buffy Summers." Her father made a face.

"Buffy? Really?"

"Well, it fits in when you are living in California. Elizabeth Anne is on my birth certificate."

"I like that, Elizabeth it is, if that is okay with you." She nodded her acceptance of that. "Now how old are you lass?"

"Almost seventeen." He ran a hand through his beard and nodded.

"Where are you staying?" Buffy did not answer, just blushed and looked away, he sighed.

"I have a room at a hotel down the street. I have to go and get your brothers out of a bit of trouble they are in."

"I have brothers?" She was excited at the prospect of having siblings.

"Yes, Conner and Murphy. They are twins, my boys are. Only ten years older than you. They are following in their father's footsteps it seems and need rescuing."

"What footsteps are those?"

"Wicked men who do wicked things and always get away with it, they have nothing to fear except the lead from our guns. It is a dangerous life we lead. Once it is daylight you can part ways if you wish, I just don't want you out on the streets at night in this town. My boys are good boys, I like to think I am a good man, only ever had one rule in this game. No women and no children." His bluntness about the things he did surprised her.

"Ok." She had done the same thing with the demon population, who was she to throw stones? A small part of her wondered why she did not find this more appalling, the code of a Slayer was never to kill humans, if she was honest with herself she always wondered why Slayers were only relegated to the demons when there were so many men doing evil thing, she guessed it did not mean that the PTB did not have their own human assassins to keep the balance for humanity. "Do you need any help?" She felt stupid for even asking.

"No dear, I do not want you to get hurt in this."

"Sure I get that, you don't know me, I'm a girl and all, but I have been hurt worse. I'm tiny and stealthy, plus people usually over look teenagers." He thought for a moment.

"Fine, let's see how deep my blood flows through you then. We leave shortly." The ride to the mansion that was where the boys and the original mark Il Ducce was released to take care of before he knew his boys were with him, were being held was a quiet one. A comfortable quiet though. They parked down the street and after Buffy tossed her coat in the backseat they began their walk in the shadows towards the house. He unbuttoned his own coat and she caught a glimpse of the vest of guns.

"Interesting apparel."

"Heh, maybe I can make you one. You know how to fire a gun?"

"Part of the wonderful wonder that is me. You hand me a weapon I can fire it."

"That's my girl. Take this." He hands her a gun with a silencer on it and she tucks into the back of her pants. They were about to head to the back of the house when they saw a muzzle flash from a basement window.

"That can't be good. I can fit through there." He nodded and looked at her as he patted her shoulder then dropped a fatherly kiss on her head and she took a shot and got a man that was creeping up on the side of them from the corner of the house. She should have felt guilty for taking a human life, but she didn't. It was just like taking out a demon, they were out to harm her and her own so she needed to do what needed to be done.

"Good girl. Be careful Elizabeth." She nodded and ran silently into the darkness and crouched down to look in the window. She had to hide behind the bushes for a bit when a car pulled up and a woman stepped out of it. When she was allowed inside the house Buffy then went back to the window and peered inside. There a dead man handcuffed to a chair on the floor and there were two other men in chairs, one had his leg free and was kicking the hand of the other one to seemingly break it enough so he could get his hands out of the cuff. She sighed and broke the window and made quick work of dropping into the room in a crouched position. The smell of fear and blood was thick in the room.

"Who the fuck are you?" Even in pain and tied to a chair the one with the now broken hand sounded intimidating.

"Just call me the Calvary." That is all Buffy said as the approached the one that spoke first. By their eyes she could tell they were the brothers in question. She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and picked the locks on the cuffs on the hands then feet of the first one then moved to the other brother.

"Not that we are not grateful and wish you would have gotten here with that a few moments sooner, but what is a little girl gonna do to help us out of here."

"I have backup." They heard the door begin to open and the brother with both good hands took an arm and pushed her behind him as the other brother took out the guard with a broken part of the chair he was chained to and took his weapons off of him keeping one for him self and tossing the other to his brother.

"Friend of yours?" She nodded her head in the direction of the body on the ground.

"Yeah, he was a good man."

"I'm sorry for your loss then. We've got to make with the getting out of here, soon." They nodded and set the chair Rocco was in upright and dug into their pockets to place pennies on his closed eyes.

"There is something we have to do first." The knelt down in front of their fallen friend and began to speak. "And shepherds we shall be, for Thee, my Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command." As they spoke in unison the door again opened and the clicking of the hammers of two guns caused all three of them to turn around with their own guns pointed. Buffy lowered hers first and the the boys did once their father started to join in on the prayer. " So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patri, et Fili, Spiritus Sancti." Their father then reached out his hands and placed on on each of their faces as they looked up at him with wonder, disbelief and a barely hidden sliver of hope.

"I'm proud of you boys, you too Elizabeth."

"Thanks dad." The two men whipped their heads in eerie unison and looked at the small blonde.

"Da?" Again in unison. Buffy could make a game of this.

"I will explain later, let's get you out of here and patched up." With Buffy's help they got them into the car and drove off.

* * *

She helped patch them up and gave a sympathetic smile to the brother she now knew as Murphy as she set the bones in his hand before wrapping it. She spent the rest of the time ignoring the looks of questions in their eyes for a while then sighed. "Just ask what you want to know." Her softly spoken words startled them.

"Where you from?" The brother she now knew as Conner asked her this.

"California, little town called Sunnydale, only an hour or so from LA."

"Why the fuck do you think he is your Da?" Murphy asked her this and got a slap up the side of his head from Conner.

"Da has been in jail for the past 25 fucking years, and he wouldn' cheat on our Ma." Conner explained with a bit more diplomacy, for them anyway. Noah just sat back and watched his children interact.

"There are these magical places where men can go and get paid for leaving a contribution. Then when a woman and said contribution meet and fall in love with a petri dish a baby is born." Conner laughed hysterically at her explanation.

"I wilna deny that wit is a McMannus trait through and through. What will you do now?"

"I don't really have a home to go back to, so I was thinking I could get a job and a place around here and get to know you three better, that is if you don't mind me hanging around." She was unexpectedly pulled across the laps of both brothers.

"Ah, Little Lizzie, that would be great, I am not sure how long we are going to be here after this." Murphy ruffled her hair with his bandaged hand and looked over to his father, with the action of the two brothers, they accepted her as a sibling as if her existence had been known to them her whole life.

"So what do we do now? We can't let him get away with this again. Yakavetta will walk again if we are not careful." Buffy just stayed where she was, a feeling of warmth and true family connection filling her and she picked up Conner's arm as he was talking and looked at the tattoos there, and compared them to Murphy's. It should have bothered her how comfortable she was with these men and the way they did business but she was strangely okay with it. Both men already seemed to accept her familial ties as if she had always been there, allowing her the curiosity and familiarity of family in allowing her to inspect them as she moved their hands and arms to get a better look at the tattoos there.

"We will start planning tomorrow, getting to know our girl here and then when the time is right, the Lord will let us know." The three men and one women sat in silence Buffy was starting to get antsy and her brothers let her go so she could pace the room.

"You okay there Lizzie?" Conner asked her this, he took his new role seriously and was directing that big brotherly concern her way.

"Yeah, just a burst of energy that I need to work off."

"Wanna learn to clean the guns?" Murphy offered this and she nodded and sat at the table in the corner of the room, Conner sat down across from her and Murphy to her left. They then started to show her how to care for the weapons that they depended on. As they showed her how to clean the guns they continued with more general questioning.

"Happen to know any other languages?" Murphy asked her this.

"Not really, I know some Gaelic from an old boyfriend and only enough Latin to perform an exorcism. Not really conversationally fluent in either, come to think of it the Gaelic is probably all naughty words anyway." So focused on her task she did not see the dark look on the brothers faces or the humor in their fathers.

"And where is this old boyfriend?" Conner asked this, trying to interject some levity into his question, she stopped what she was doing and looked him in the eyes.

"Dust in the wind. He developed a nasty habit of killing young girls, so I had to take him out." Her statement was ended when she broke eye contact and finished reassembling the gun, then handed it to a silent Murphy for inspection.

"Is that what you had to do when your mother kicked you out?" The boys looked in surprise at their dad then looked angry again when they saw her nod her head.

"Doesn't matter now. I now have other family." She gave Noah a smile and finished cleaning out the remaining guns.

"You have really tiny hands, maybe a smaller glock is something we need to take her to see Patrick for." Conner said this and Murphy rolled his eyes before replying.

"You just want to get some more of your fuckin' rope." She smiled at the banter and when she was almost done with the last one when she heard them all yawn.

"Go to sleep, I can finish this one on my own."

"There are only two beds Lizzie, you need one to sleep on." She shot Conner a look.

"I am tiny, can curl on up the chair Dad is sitting in. Besides, you two are the injured ones."

"Well, I have seen that look on Murph's face here enough to know there is no arguing that will end nicely. Murphy and I can bunk in one bed, Da, you can have the other then. Night Little Lizzie." Conner stood up and leaned over the table and kissed her right temple.

"You change your mind you wake us up okay? Night Lizzie." Murphy laid a kiss on her left temple as he stood up.

"Good night Elizabeth." Buffy stood and gave her father a hug and he returned it and kissed the top of her head. Buffy sat back down at the table and finished cleaning the remaining gun and went through the weapons bag to see what else was in there.

Two hours later she was finally getting tired. She had sharpened all the knives, wrapped back up an unraveled rope and loaded all the clips. For the past half hour the room had been quiet, the McMannus men finally fell into sleep. Quietly she stood up and went over to the overstuffed chair and smiled as she picked up the shirt and sweatpants that belonged to one of the brothers that had been left out for her, and curled up in the chair, pulling the afghan over her and went to sleep. She slept and she had a dream.

**"About time you fell asleep. You are at a crossroads, you have two choices here Buffy." Buffy looked around and saw Whistler standing next to her. Before her were two windows with drastically different scenes. One was of the Sunnydale crew with Faith at the helm, they looked to be doing good, all still alive, smiling and happy. The other window held the scene of her father and brothers sleeping in the room, bandaged and clutching weapons under pillows in their sleep.**

"What happens if I choose to stay with them?" Buffy tore her gaze away and looked down at the messenger demon.

"Then the powers take back your Slayer destiny and give you the destiny of your other side of the family." Buffy nodded and took a look at both scenes.

"How long do I have to decide?"

"I managed to get you a day to decide." She nodded and smiled down at the demon.

"I will take that under advisement. Tell me something, why am I so comfortable with all of this?"

"They have a destiny as well, someone has to keep the evil men in check. They have been called to do this. They are not just men on a killing spree for fame and glory. I also may have linked you into their destiny before you got here to help ease the way." Buffy nodded her head and turned back to the window.

"Now, you have been granted a front seat view of the movie that is your other half of the family, the powers wanted you to be well informed of both options." Buffy nodded and watched the playback with fascination and horror as she saw the catalyst that started this all in both her father and her brothers, tears streamed down her face as she watched, unable to look away until it got to where she entered the boys lives.

"How long has she been like this?" Conner asked this of his father while Murphy tried to wake Buffy up as she was frozen in a dream, crying in her sleep.

"Not sure, seems to be settling when one of us touch her." Murphy ignored his injuries and picked Buffy up and put her in the middle of the bed, then he and Conner got back in.

"Now she will stay settled. I'm fuckin' tired and she is being a pain in the ass little sister already." Murphy huffed in irritation and went back to sleep, Conner made a grunt of agreement and soon followed behind him in sleep.

**Buffy could see all of that from her window view.**

"Why did you let me see that part? Don't you think I will be swayed?" The small demon took off his hat and looked around before speaking in a hushed tone, filled with urgency.

"I hope you are, I really do, you will have pain if you choose your dad and brothers, but it will be worth it. The pain of everything if you go back to Sunnydale? I've seen it kid, I like you I do, like you enough for you to stay alive. You stay here with these men and you will have a chance to be your own person, find love and laugh. Both choices have possibilities of life ending young, but what happens in the middle is what makes it life." Suddenly Whistler was gone and the room they were in was nothing but white.

Buffy opened her eyes and saw ceiling. A hand came up and gently closed her eyelids. "Shh, we're sleeping." She gave a giggle at the tired voice of Conner and rolled over to her side towards Murphy to give the larger frames of her brothers more room to sleep, then fell into a dreamless sleep herself.

The next morning she awoke still in the middle of the bed, a brother on either side, each had an arm over her body and resting on the upper arm of the other, the bond of the twins encompassing her and protecting her even in their sleep, having seen how far they have gone to protect each other she felt at home that they would share that with her. She would have stayed there longer to avoid having to move them but the call of nature would not leave a message and she carefully started to scootch down the bed only to be trapped by two sets of legs.

"Where you sneaking off to now?" Murphy asked this rubbing a hand over his face.

"I think she is trying to run away, such a shame dear sister." Conner said this also rubbing his face and the two of them reached out an arm and pulled her back.

"If you two have to know, I was hoping to make it to the bathroom and not wake you, but since you have me trapped you two will have to sleep in the wet spot." They raised an eye and her unintentional innuendo and laughed as they released their hold on her and sat up quickly, swinging their legs over the side of the bed.

Buffy got up and went to use the facilities and when she was done their father had returned with a few bags with what looked like clothing and food, and what looked like her duffel bag.

"Good morning Elizabeth. Went back and got the bag you left at the bar, now you can wear your own clothing. Eat then shower, we have church then the boys want to get you outfitted with weapons while we plan." She nodded and went over to the bed and stood on it so give her father a kiss on the cheek and take the duffel bag from him.

"Think I will shower first if that is okay." She did not wait for a reply just went into the bathroom and closed the door. She finished quickly, feeling more refreshed to be clean and in her own clothes again. She padded out barefoot and sat on the end of the bed to put on her socks and Doc Martins. She gratefully accepted the bagel and coffee that was handed to her and sat back and ate as the three men smoked and planned around the table before breaking to get clean themselves.

Once they were all dressed and ready they headed down to the church. Buffy just looked up at the cathedral and softly uttered as they walked in. "Was always more just a Easter and Christmas goer."

"Well even a few times a year is better than nothing my child." Father Kee stepped from the shadows and answered her as she watched her brothers and father kneel in prayer. The fact they left her alone with the priest spoke to their trust of him.

"Are your doors here always open?"

"There is always an open door here for you my dear, now if you have any questions in the mean time I will give you a number you can call." He went to a back room and came out with a piece of paper with a name and number on it and handed it to her. She smiled at the man and nodded in thanks. It was then the three men got up and finished their prayer and came her way to collect her.

The next stop was to the Irish gun dealer, Patrick. "You boys back already?" Patrick looked up and saw the two people with them. "With guests?"

"Da and _little sister_." Buffy rolled her eyes at the emphasis Conner used to point out that she was off limits. Patrick raised his hands in surrender.

"And what can I do for you today?"

"We came to get Lizzie here a few new shiny toys." Murphy used his good hand and brought Buffy up closer to them and motioned for her to hold out her hands. Patrick took a look and smiled before flipping the switch that opened the armory.

"I have just the things. If you will follow me." Patrick crooked his arm and Buffy placed her hand in there, ignoring the twin growls of irritation behind her, and he led her to the walls of weapons. "Now try out these two and see how they fit." He handed her a Heckler & Koch P7M8 and a Glock 26. She held them both and had a better grip on the Glock 26. She told him that and he nodded to find a few more and extra clips. She wandered around the room and her eyes lit up as she spotted the rocket launcher.

"These are so much fun. For the record if you are ever wondering what I want, this is a perfect gift." She grinned at them and the brothers gave her a manic grin back.

"Will keep that in mind dear sister."

"She has good taste. For her I will even do gift wrapping when the time comes." The brothers shot Patrick twin looks of irritation. "Here you go, three of the Glock 26, six extra clips and four boxes of ammo, two silencer attachments and a shoulder holster, also in honor of the fight your two brothers had last time they were in here, I am throwing in a fine rope and a smaller bowie knife."

"Thank you." Buffy inspected the weapons as they settled the bill. They packed all but one into the bag they brought and her father helped adjust the holster over her back and load the weapon in before placing her jacket back on.

The next meeting was a sit down at McGinty's with Agent Smecker and Detectives Greenly, Dolly and Duffy.

Introductions were made and plans set into motion. Buffy took a step back from the conversation happening and walked over to the bar to help Doc get refills for everyone. She smiled as she watched them all, even the covert glances the three McMannus men were giving her to make sure she was okay was comforting. Smecker came over to the bar and stood in front of her.

"You know what kind of men these are?" His voice was almost caring as he asked this.

"They are good men with a calling. They are my family." The agent nodded and looked at the group of men from both walks of things. The good guys and the bad guys if all you had to color with was black and white.

"You planning on staying with them?" She closed her eyes and thought for a moment then looked at Agent Smecker with a look of serenity on her face.

"Yes, so I am going to need a favor. Figure it would be nice to have my name match the rest of the family." With those words she heard the echoing of Whistler's voice in her head. _"Good choice kid."_ She could actually feel what made her a slayer start to fade away and she collapsed on the floor behind the bar.

**"Okay kid, I only have a short time before they find out I am here again. My gift to you is that you get to keep your weapons knowledge and the uncanny aim. You lose the slayer package of strength and speed and such, you do get to keep some extra muscle to keep you on your toes and keep up with your brothers."**

"How much trouble are you going to be in for this?" Buffy asked the short demon concerned.

"Nothing I have not been through before. You take care of yourself kid."

"You too. Thank you for everything."

Buffy awoke to three sets of distinctive voices. "Little Lizzie?" "Lizzie!" and "Elizabeth?" She gingerly opened her eyes and smiled up at the eight concerned faces.

"Sorry, I'm fine. Guess a bagel and coffee does not a filling all day meal make."

"Sit down dear and I will f-fi-fix you some food." Conner and Murphy led her back to the table and sat her down between them.

"Drink your soda." Murphy pushed the glass in front of her.

"I'm fine, really." As her dad sat down the three of them gave her a look.

"Fine." She pouted and began to sip the drink.

Smecker and the Boston PD boys said their goodbyes shortly after leaving the family and Doc in the bar. Doc came up and sat a plate of food down in front of her and she began to eat, the boys were on the other side of the bar playing darts and their father was talking to Doc. When she was almost finished she managed to get ketchup on her shirt, then she looked up and asked them a question.

"So where can I go around here for some new clothes? If I am going to be staying then I need more than what is in my duffel."

"You know I think your brothers can help you with that, you don't need your Da hanging around when looking for things." Noah shot her a grin when he saw the looks on his sons faces.

* * *

"This is the third store she has been in. How many stops does it take to get a few pairs of pants and shirts?" Conner asked this to his brother who asked him a question in return.

"And how many shoes does a person need?"

"I see now why you two are single, you two may be able to wear the same thing again and again, with the bonus of being able to share, but I have to get enough for me to last me a while. I just have to stop one more place and we are good to go." They started to follow her, dutifully carrying the bags filled with the items she had purchased when they came to a stop.

"No, you can go on in, we will wait here." Conner stated this as both he and Murphy looked up at the pink Victoria's Secret sign.

"Babies." Buffy stuck her tongue out at them and went inside. Thirty minutes and three bags later she joined them once again.

"It's not that we are afraid to go in there you know. It is just, there are certain things that a brother should not know about his new sister right away." Murphy said this and they exited the shopping center. Conner switched the bags he was holding to his off hand to keep his firing hand free if needed and Buffy heard Murphy curse.

"Let me carry my bags there." She took them despite his protest and walked in between them to get back to where they were staying.

* * *

Three weeks into their new family unit, they were settling into a routine. Wake up, go to church, eat, kill time, weapons training for her, eat again, sometimes they would meet with the law boys for a bite and pint, most of the time they were having dinner with Doc and getting to know each other. This was just another learning moment.

"What the fuck is with all the bras hanging in the shower? A man should not have to shower with all that color in there." Buffy was woken up from sleep by this comment as Conner walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his hips, their father and Murphy laughing were laughing in the corner of the room.

"Have to be hand washed and line dried jackass." Buffy threw his pillow at his head and laid her head back down, pulling the covers over her head.

* * *

Noah would have honestly preferred if his youngest and only daughter never fell into the life laid out for him and the boys, hoping the kill she made that first night would be her last, but six weeks after she helped rescue her brothers, Poppa Joe Yakavetta's men had learned of her existence, and in one of the rare moments they were not with her they attacked.

Buffy had just finished bagging up the trash from the bar and was taking it out back, with all the food and booze Doc supplied the least she could do was help out where she could. As she placed the first of the bags on the ground and got ready to toss them into the dumpster she heard the cocking of guns then saw the men come in from the exit points of the alley.

"Can I help you?" Buffy tried for the innocent girl routine first. Maybe they would ignore her and go on about their way.

"Yes, can you please get on your knees and scream for your family?" The heavily accented Italian spoke and Buffy was grateful that she never went anywhere unarmed. It was strange how use to the holster and gun she had become, now she reveled in the strangeness.

"Not gonna happen." The man gave an irritated growl at this and spoke to the others in, what she assumed, was Italian and they began to open fire. Quickly she dove behind the dumpster and pulled out her gun, she crept to the side and was able to take down two of them before having to go further behind it again. As she got over to the other side and took out one more the back door of the bar was flung open and the three McMannus men came out, weapons blasting like modern day avenging angels.

They four of them made quick work of the remaining men and once they were all down they rushed to her and her father pulled her into a hug, subtly checking for injuries.

"I'm fine. Took out three of them before you slowpokes made it out here." She hid her wince very badly when he went to pat her arm, he took a closer look and swore.

"Sure you are fine, get her inside boys." Conner and Murphy led Buffy inside and sat her down as their father came out from behind the bar with a bottle of whiskey and a sewing kit. He poured a shot and set it in front of her.

"Drink, this is going to hurt." She numbly nodded and took the shot, making a face that caused her brothers to howl in laughter.

"Good girl, now let me get this closed up." Her father began to work on her arm and Murphy offered her a hand to squeeze.

"Just curious Lizzie. Why didn' ya tell us you were hurt?" Conner knelt in front of her to ask this, taking her smaller hands into one of his.

"I didn't want you to worry about me, I can take the pain." A tear ran down her face and he wiped it away while Murphy swore, never one to be comfortable with girls crying.

"If he got rid of every sibling that got nicked in the arm, then he would have been an only child a while ago. You are one of us through and through, be hard pressed to get rid of us now little sister." She gave a watery smile to Murphy and nodded. She was vaguely aware of the stitching being done and a bandage going over it.

"I don't know how they found out about your parentage, but I will not let my guard down again." Her father said this and the brothers nodded their heads in agreement. That night she had a dream, not the usual slayer dream, or even one with Whistler in it. All she heard was an unfamiliar voice in the darkness saying 'Saints rush in where others fear to tread, Angels always surround them'

* * *

Seven weeks in had proven that Buffy actually had a head for Latin, much to their delight, she could carry on a passable conversation in it even. Apparently she just needed the right teachers, or destiny as it were to allow herself to learn. Now once she mastered that, they could start teaching her other languages like their mom made sure they were taught while growing up.

* * *

Nine weeks they had been in this one room hotel with two beds, the siblings on one with their dad on the other. This morning she woke alone in the bed, which was unusual, that and the absence of cigarette smoke in the air. The only thing she smelled was the cigar her father smoked. She got up slowly and stretched as she walked over the table with her father and slumped into the chair.

"Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?"

"Your brothers offered to make a food run." She nodded and put her head on her folded arms on the table and closed her eyes. She did not have to wait long before the boys showed up with the bags of food in their hands. She reached for the food and Conner slapped her hand away.

"I will bite you and you know it." She scowled at him then finally noticed Murphy had his hand hidden behind his back.

"What are you up to?" She raised an eyebrow and then smiled as he revealed a cupcake with a candle in.

"Happy birthday little sister."

"How did you know?"

"Called into Smecker and found out a few weeks back."

"I have already called Patrick, anything you want today is yours at his place, on the house." The boys rolled their eyes at this and waiting for her to get ready so they could go.

They were three days out from the trial of Poppa Joe.

"You can't keep me from helping!" Buffy wanted to stomp her feet at the men in front of her.

"You are too young for this, we are exposing who we are to the media. Do you need that kind of notice right now?" Her father tried to be the voice of reason.

"I have to help, I feel it so deep in my soul it hurts. I made my choice a while ago and I will be damned if you will keep me from this." The brothers shared a look then turned to look at their dad who was locking eyes with their sister, she was standing there defiantly, chin jutted up and hands on her hips.

"Da, we canna argue with that can we?" The older man sighed heavily and sat down.

"Come on Lizzie, lets go take a walk so Da can think on things." The siblings left the room and were soon on the streets, her movements were in time with theirs as they all three put the sunglasses on their faces, then the two men lit their cigarettes. A few blocks from where they were staying they stopped at a payphone.

"Give me the quarters." Conner held out his and and Murphy put several dollars worth of quarters in his brothers hand then Conner began to dial.

"Ma? Yeah, it's Conner. Yes Ma, Murph is here too." Murphy leaned his head against his brothers and held the bottom of the phone with him.

"Hi Ma."

"We just wanted to let you know our number is changing so you won't be able to reach us for a while."

"Yes. No. Ma, Conner and I are fine. Just making some changes."

"Love you too Ma, call again when we can. Bye." The boys hung up the phone and Buffy stood back up from where she was sitting on the pavement.

"Did you want to call anyone? There is no guarantee this will end the way we hope." Buffy shook her head slowly.

"No I made my choice." Each brother wrapped an arm over her shoulder and they finished their walk. Half an hour later found them back in the room.

"My dear girl. If this is something you must do, then so be it." She went up and wrapped her arms around her father.

"They hurt my brothers, wanted to kill them. They would have tried to get rid of you, and they tried to kill me. I say I have every right to be there. I know I am young, and I am a girl. There is a chance I could lose you all. I would rather lose you and myself there, than be tucked away in an ivory tower and safe alone."

* * *

The four McMannus family members made an intimidating entrance into the courtroom where the trial was being held. It did not take long for them to round up the weapons and secure the witnesses to watch what was about to happen.

They soon had Yakavetta on his knees in the middle of the court room.

"You people have been chosen to reveal our existence to the world. You will witness what happens here today and you will tell of it later. All eyes to the front." Their father started them off with that as the brothers held their guns to the back of the mans head. Buffy was crouching in front of the man just studying his face.

The fire alarm went off in the court house and their father chambered his shell in the gun and took the place of the brothers as they jumped to address their congregation of the captive audience. Going back and forth as they spoke.

"Now you will receive us."

"We do not ask for your poor, or your hungry."

"We do not want your tired and sick."

"It is your corrupt we claim."

"It is your evil that will be shot by us."

"With e'ry breath, we shall hunt them down."

"Each day we will spill their blood till it rains down from the skies."

"Do not kill, do not rape, do not steal, these are principles that every man of every faith can embrace."

"These are not polite suggestions. These are codes of behavior, and those of you that ignore them will pay the dearest cost."

"There are varying degrees of evil, we urge you lesser forms of filth not to push the bounds and cross over into true corruption into our domain."

"But if you do, one day you will look behind you and see we four, and on that day you will reap it."

"And we will send you to whatever god you wish."

"Amen." Buffy ended it and placed a kiss on each cheek of Poppa Joe Yakavetta, leaving the sheen of lip gloss on each cheek, then moved to the side as the men lined up their weapons. The three men spoke in unison and Buffy was in a bit of awe at their conviction of words.

"And shepherds we shall be, for Thee, my Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be." Then they broke out speaking as individuals, each man taking a part of the three. "In nomine Patri, et Fili, Spiritus Sancti " Then they pulled the trigger and released the people so they could make their escape in the crowd.

* * *

The next morning Smecker arrived at their room, they were almost finished packing. They had just turned off the news with the four of their faces were shown in sketch rendering. They were being called the Saints and the Angel. Fitting if they didn't know the 'Angel' in question had a mean right hook when you picked on her shortness.

"Brought breakfast too. Here are the travel arrangements to get out of here." He handed Noah the package then handed Buffy a smaller envelope.

"In for a penny." She smiled at the man and placed the papers in her bag.

"I checked the other thing you asked me to, there have been no reports listed for you." She gave the Agent a slightly sad smile at that, she had asked Smecker to check and see if her mother or anyone had looked for her since she had been gone for almost six months. No one had, maybe Giles and the others thought she was dead. Her mother not looking for her did hurt a bit. "Thank you for checking." She gave the agent a hug, which he awkwardly returned with a pat on the back as well.

"What is that now Lizzie?" Conner asked her this with a teasing lilt to his voice to distract her when he saw the frown start on her face, while Murphy got it out of her bag and opened it.

"Well I guess it is really official then idn't?" Murphy handed the papers to Conner over her head to read, who in turn handed them over to their father.

"When did you decide to do this then lass?"

"The night I passed out in the bar actually." The three men dragged her into the middle of a hug and she laughed. "I just hate that by changing my name officially over to yours I don't get the height. I am forever going to be asking for help with things on shelves." She smiled up and the men and the brothers ruffled her hair and ran off laughing as she jumped onto Murphy's back the force of it sent him onto the mattress of the bed, Conner came up behind and lifted their sister off of him and threw her over his shoulder, laughing even harder as she pounded her fists on his back. With a pout she looks up and calls out. "Da-aaa-aaad."

"Conner put your sister down, Elizabeth stop picking on Murphy. Murphy, I can see you. Finish packing kids, our boat for Ireland leaves in an hour." He shook his head at his three children and gave a rare smile before he resumed his own packing.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – Still do now own them  
AN – I am moving two scenes to fit my scheme better, and making reference to 'The Goods' from the deleted scene 'Ma Calls From Ireland' from the first movie

* * *

It is amazing what eight years can do. During their time in the remote plains of Ireland Buffy had met the woman that gave birth to her brothers, and she took her in under her wing and filled her first few years there with introductions to locals and pictures and stories of the boys when they were younger. It was a sad day when she passed away when Buffy was twenty.

It was a few weeks after that when she approached her brothers and got then to start working on her first tattoo. There was something stirring in her that she just couldn't shake, almost being driven to get this done

"Thought you were the one with the lighter touch. Fuck this hurts you jackass." She turned and snarled at Murphy, tempted to flick her cigarette butt at him. Both brothers were working in tandem on the work she wanted done on each shoulder blade. Honorare Vengange. Honor and Vengance.

"Stop being such a girl."

"I will when you will. Need me to pass you a tampon there Murph?" Conner rolled his eyes at the two of them and continued to work in silence.

* * *

Over the next few years she got a few more tattoos, there was not much else to do where they were. Conner and Murphy helped out on the sheep farm they were living, and she got a job at a local pub a few hours drive away from where they were living.

Eight years in this place had made an impact on her, she stopped dying her hair. The natural brunette was somewhere between the darker of Muprhy and the lighter of Conner. She had perfected her Latin and Irish, was passable in Spanish and French, for some reason she was horrible at Japanese and Russian, only knew enough to ask for a beer and where the bathrooms were. She was even developing a more than slight brougue that on a good day she could pass for a local.

The past few months she had been restless, antsy and noticed the same behavior reflected in her brothers, she saw the worried look on their father's face when the three of them were together. They would sit there, staring off into nothing but the fire burning lost in their own memories. They were even more distant today when she rode her horse out to the fields to bring them lunch.

"Thanks Lizzie."

"Yeah, thanks." The boys took the bag with food in it and she looked at them for a moment before mustering a smile and turned her horse to take off back to the house.

* * *

She had come home one night after a double at Ambrose, the pub where she worked and there was a Jeep she did not recognize parked under the covering of the porch. She parked her own vehicle and quickly moved into the house, the weather was turning colder now and she was dressed for the bar rather than the farm.

"Da, Father. Where are the boys?" She nodded in the direction of each man at the table as she addressed them then as if on command, the brothers entered. Hair cut and beards shaved. They were dressed to kill with their bags on their shoulders then they tossed two pennies on the table. She looked back and forth between them and her father with a question on her face.

"Someone killed a priest, in a church and made it look like it was us. Calling us out, we have to go back and take care of this." Conner said this to her.

"Fine, let me get my stuff and I will go with ya." Murphy shook his head at her.

"Not this time Lizzie, we need you to stay here with Da. We will take care of this and be back soon." They each gave her a quick hug, and a kiss to the temple and with a nod of their heads in the direction of their dad they left the room.

"Da?"

"They made a frame job of all three of you, that is what your brothers are keeping from you Elizabeth. A glossed kiss on each cheek. Once they have a head start go back into town and get a ride out of here with your young man, keep them out of too much trouble." She nodded her head and sat down at the table. Not one of the three remaining people uttered a word as they heard them drive away.

* * *

"This fits perfectly luv, now I know why you were fiddling with the tags on my bra the last time you were up my way. Why didn't you bring it with you this week when you were up?" Buffy said this and adjusted the leather corset that had the built in gun holsters, was handy too that it could be laced up on the sides. It could be worn alone or over a shirt, guess she would decide that depending on the situation, she continued talking as she walked out into the main room of the armory. Patrick was not supposed to have another client for a bit. "I do find it funny how you are such a talented horn dog that you managed to make my rack look bigger when I am wearing it. You hopin' for a short plaid skirt soon then? Maybe for our anniversary I will, I can even put my hair in pigtails."

"Holy fuck! Lizzie!" Twin exclamations caused her to whip her head up.

"Fuck." She uttered one word and Conner was next to Patrick in a flash and had him pinned to the wall by his neck while Murphy came over and removed his jacket to throw it over her shoulders, smacking a man she did not know on the back of his head on his way.

"For fuck's sake Conner, let him go." She shrugged off the jacket and stalked over to her brother.

"No, I warned him years ago. How long has this been going on."

"Let him go Conner, please, then we can talk about this. Like adults." Conner reluctantly released his hold on Patrick and took a step back. He watched as Patrick let his sister fuss over him. Satisfied he was okay she took the jacket he offered and put it on, not caring about her brothers, just not sure about the unknown man in the room. "Seven years."

"Jesus, Joseph and Mary. You have been hiding him from us all this time?" Conner exclaimed this and ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up even more than usual.

"Would you have let me get involved? You would prefer me to die a spinster. He understands me, understands you two and Da. Outside of the three of you at home, Patrick is the one that most matches up to the ideals that I have come love in you all." She stood there defiant. The jacket that was a few sizes too big making her seem like that teenager that came into their lives all that long ago.

"Who the fuck is this chick?" All heads turned to the Mexican that was yelling.

"Lizzie, this is Romeo. Romeo, this is Lizzie. Our little sister." The man paled a bit and moved his eyes to the sky and crossed himself. "I thought we told you to stay with Da."

"Who do you think sent me? And what is the fucking idea not telling me I was implicated in this frame job as well? You two damned idiots never fucking check in, and for some reason you still think I am a child to protect. Caught a ride back with Patrick after the two of you left.." Murphy rolled his eyes then spoke.

"You stopped for a booty call? Really concerned about your brothers then huh? Does Da know about this?" Murphy asked this with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes you idiot, Da knows about Patrick, he actually came by the house and talked to Da right after my eighteenth birthday, comes back to Ireland every few months to see me. Seriously? Booty call? Some jackasses took all the weapons, I had to reload and remind Patrick why he puts up with my brothers. Think about this too, with what we are into we never know when it will be our last. I wanted to give something to Patrick here to remember me by." She shot the man in question a cheeky grin and crooked her finger at him in which he quickly obliged by moving his head down lower to accept the kiss on his cheek. "Let me go get changed, try not to kill each other." She left the room and Conner followed after her, Murphy on his heels.

She knew they would follow, person boundaries meant nothing to those two, they might as well be three Ken and Barbie dolls, between the tattooing, the bandaging and the irritating showers in the barn. She kept her back turned to them and removed the weapons vest and placed it on a nearby chair then put her bra back on, then her shirt. The movements made the feathery wings that ran down her back and onto her lower hips, flex as if trying to get free for her to take flight. It was great work if the boys did say so themselves. That was the inspiration of being snowed in the house for over a month with nothing else to do.

"I love him." She whispered this quietly and the brothers sighed as she said this and turned around.

"We know, we do. Sorry Lizzie. Explains now why you wanted the wording that use to be on the walls here then doesn' it?. Also all those, 'I had to work a double and slept at the bar' excuses. We will stop giving you shit and even try to be nice to lover boy." The two brothers encircled her in their arms and she inhaled.

"Thank you. So now that is settled, where to next, and why do you smell like you dipped your jackets in coffee?"

"That is a story for the bar, for now Romeo just got a lead on who we can go to next. Take it you are coming along?"

"As if you could stop me." She stepped out of the room and approached Patrick. He took his hands and gently moved the hair from her face.

"You be careful out there. Try and come back to me."

"I will always try for that. Besides if I do not make it, then how will my brother's give you hell for defiling their sister all these years?" She gave him a wink and he rolled his eyes.

"Christ Liz, you just like to poke the bears don't you?" She nodded and placed her own coat onto her body and gave him a soft smile.

"Just part of my charm." She walked out with the the three men, all armed with new weapons, and headed to where Gorgeous George got his fake bake.

"Sorry about the leering, I didn't realize you were the Angel of the Saints."

"All's forgiven Romeo."

* * *

The confrontation with Gorgeous George went without incident and now they were in the Silver Peso waiting for the North and South side crew bosses to show up.

"I can help out up front. Romeo should not be alone, and Georgie here is offending my senses. Your noses must be burned out from all the sheep back home."

"Not burned out enough really. Do you not remember the four of us had our faces all over the news?"

"Yes, but I was younger and had blonde hair then. Even Romeo did not recognize me." Conner got a mischievous glint in his eyes as he thought on that and wrapped an arm around Buffy's shoulder, she switched the hand she was holding her cigarette in to accommodate him.

"Have I told you yet dear Little Lizzie what your other brother wanted to do to escape notice when we got back to the states?"

"Shut the fuck up Conner." Murphy shot a warning glare towards his brother.

"When will you learn that just makes us want to talk more?" Buffy asked this sweetly and hopped up on a counter, her chin in her hands and looked to Conner with a grin. "Tell me a story Conner."

"He wanted use a disguise. You may be asking yourself now dear sister of ours, what kind? He wanted to dye his hair. Lighter. Blonde. Like a surfer. Malibu Murphy." Buffy tried to hold in her giggle, but the image of Murphy as a blonde was too funny and she almost fell off the counter she was sitting on she was laughing so hard.

"Fuck the both of ya." Murphy flipped them off and moved to start securing Gorgeous George to the rolling cart.

"Okay then Lizzie, up front with Romeo you go." She donned an apron and followed the chef jacketed Romeo up front to keep their guests entertained until the gang all arrived.

The rest of the gang soon arrived and they pushed the cart with George on it out into the main room then crawled through storage bays between the kitchen and bar to sneak up behind them. Buffy and Romeo were ready to start on the boys mark.

"Erin Go Bragh. What does that mean?" The soon to be dead mobster lackey asked and was answered by Murphy.

"It's Irish for your fucked." The four of them then opened fire on the crew assembled and took them out, leaving just George alive. Romeo jumped over the bar exclaiming "La viva Mexico bitches." and started laughing into the air. Buffy raised an eyebrow at her brothers and jumped over the bar herself before commenting.

"Your new puppy needs a muzzle."

"Be careful with him Lizzie, you are likely to make him cry. Again." Murphy said this and she leaned into his side as Conner put the fear of a southern preacher into Gorgeous George, the man soon stumbling out of the bar.

"That was perhaps one of the finest examples of spiritual guidance I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing." Murphy said this and crossed him self and Buffy did the same then concealed a yawn.

"Tired Lizzie?" Conner asked this and she nodded.

"Maybe you should have actually slept in the bed you were in when you got to the states." She kicked Murphy's shin after he said this and flipped off Conner. Just then a woman came in the front entrance, firing away, they ducked all three men instinctively covering Buffy. They heard the shots behind them fire back then stop after the woman reloaded. Quickly they all stood up and the mystery woman had four guns pointed on her. The three McMannus children called for her to put her gun down and with raised hands she did so.

"Easy guys, I'm alone."

"Who the fuck are you?" Conner asked this.

"The name is Eunice Bloom, and I'm your new guardian angel. The torch was passed to me by a mutual friend."

"A mutual friend? By the name of fucking who?" Murphy was the one to ask this.

"Paul Maxamillion fucking Smecker." She said this and the three siblings lowered their weapons.

"We heard." Buffy stated this sadly.

"He was a good man." Murphy added his comments.

"Aye, you have our condolences." Conner finished their statement and put his gun all the way away.

"And you mine."

Romeo was about to blow a gasket. "Well I'm glad...Who the fuck was that guy?"

"That is the shooter that you two boys have been looking for." Eunice answered him, but Romeo was on a tear.

"Who the fuck is this broad? What the fuck is going on here?"

"Let's speed this up before your new sidekick's gotta dig any deeper into this impressive vocabulary."

"Oh no you didn't." Romeo made a move towards the woman and Buffy held out an arm in front of him.

"Oh yes I did. I am an FBI agent controlling this investigation from the inside to ensure you four never see the inside of a jail cell. I'm conspiring to do this with three like minded individuals who have aided you in the past, though I have yet to inform them of my agenda because, well, a girl's got to have her fun."

"Can we keep her, please?" Buffy asked this and the brothers gave her a look. "What? I'm forever outnumbered by you boys all the fucking time. I could use a good pow wow with the fairer sex."

"Dolly, Duffy and Greenly?" Murphy ignored his sister and addressed the FBI agent.

"The very same."

"How are the lads then?" Conner asked this of her as he leaned against the bar.

"Two of them are scared. One's just horny." She took off her jacket as she said this.

"Betcha I can tell ya which one." Murphy said this.

"Me too." Buffy said this with another yawn.

"I bet you both can, but let's save that for group. Right now we have a bigger problem."

"What's that then?" Conner asked this and Eunice waved around her at the bodies on the floor.

"This simply will not do." For the next hour the five of them rearranged the crime scene then exited the bar. Romeo made an anonymous tip to the police and the four of them agreed to let the Boston PD boys in on their return after the scene was cleared.

They got to McGinty's and Buffy got to have her own reunion with Doc.

"How are you dear girl?" The man brought her into his embrace and hugged her tightly.

"Just fine Doc. Can I use the phone in the back room?" He nodded and she turned to her brothers.

"Have fun playing with the boys, I have to leave a message for Da and make another call." The brothers sidled up on either side of her.

"Going to call Patrick are we?"

"Oh Patrick, I love you, I want to have your tall babies."

"Please Patrick say you love me too." The two went on and started making kissey noises in the air.

"Sure keep it up and I will never tell ya the goods." The boys froze and went to stand in front of her, a hand on each shoulder stopping her from moving.

"What you mean? You can't mean what we think you mean." Conner asked this.

"What I mean is that before your Ma passed she gave me the intel needed to use in situations like this if they were ever to occur."

"You really can't mean she told you and would never tell us." Murphy asked this incredulous.

"That is what I mean. One day, if you are nice, I will really tell you which one your mom said did come out first." She walked away leaving the two brothers stunned in their places. It was only Romeo telling them the car was pulling up that had them getting into their place behind the bar.

In the back room she called to leave a message in town for her Da first. He would get it tomorrow when he went into town to check.

The next call was to Patrick. "Hey love, I'm still alive. No everything is fine, boys were just teasing me. No we are good. I really can't tell you, the less you know the cleaner your hands are. Have another job in two days so I will call you after that. Yes, I promise I will get some real sleep tonight, no I don't think you coming over is a good idea. Damnit Patrick I am not ashamed of you. Oh for fucks sake. I have to go help the boys plan. Love you too. Bye." Buffy hung up the phone and opened the back office door, the sounds of laughter streaming in. She walked unnoticed behind the bar and poured herself a shot and lit a cigarette.

"Jesus, Elizabeth? My how you have grown." Dolly noticed her first causing the other two to turn.

"Hello boys. How have you been?"

"A few years older after the stunt your brothers just pulled." She gave them a smile and ignored the look on her brothers faces.

"What is wrong Lizzie?"

"Nothing, I am a big girl."

"Do we need to take Patrick out back?" Conner said this and both he and Murphy cracked their knuckles.

"Boy problems huh? Give us his name and we can pick him up and hold him in a cell for a few days if you want."

"You guys are all sweet, but this kind of fight comes with the job. Now what is the plan?"

"In forty eight hours we are hitting them at the Prue. That soon enough for ya?"

"The Prudential? Are you crazy? Might as well whack him in center ice during the game."

"That is where he is, that is where we go. No guts, no glory Greenbeans." Conner stated this as a fact and they all accepted the new round of drinks that were poured for them.

"In fact we can use a few extra hands. That is if you boys can still get your Irish on." Murphy said this and the banter continued on.

Murphy went to the backroom for a bit while the rest of the group was goofing off and when he came back he did that freaky silent conversation thing with Conner that only twins could do. Truth be told it was the only time she ever felt left out of the boys lives with the bond they had that was put into motion when they were in the womb.

"All right, you boys have fun. Conner, Murphy. Escort a lady to the door." The boys hopped up and offered Eunice each an arm like the gentlemen they most of the time pretended not to be and escorted her out of the bar. Buffy kept herself busy chatting with the Romeo and the detectives while clearing off the old glasses that were stacking up on the bar.

When the boys came back from escorting Agent Bloom out they walked in with Patrick. Buffy heard the three sets of footsteps, where there should have been only two, and looked up. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What?"

"Your brother called me."

"Which?"

"Murphy."

"When?"

"When I went to the back room earlier Lizzie."

"Why?"

"Because he makes you happy and all that fucking shit, and we need some items for our plan." Murphy said this and sat down on the bar stool next to his brother.

"Please do not ask the 'Where' now Liz. Sit down and let's here what your brothers are cooking up." She allowed Patrick to guide her to a bar stool and they sat between the smug looking brothers and the curious looking detectives. Conner detailed out his plan with colorful commentary by Buffy and Murphy and Patrick actually contributed some useful things as far as items they would need along the way.

"Slide the bottle down here Greenbeans." Murphy said this and the man complied, but it was stopped by their sister who took a long pull from the bottle first.

"You are a bitch you know that?" She flipped him off then slid the bottle the rest of the way down the bar smiling sweetly at him.

"Murph is right, gotten too comfortable bossing us around. Good thing you have an old man now to do that to."

"Fuck you too Conner, and to think for today, you were my favorite." Conner and Murphy both held a hand over their hearts looking wounded.

"I thought for sure I was winning. Oh how you wound me dear Lizzie." She smiled tiredly at Murphy and laid her head on Patrick's shoulder in an unusual display of PDA and he returned the gesture, picking up her right hand and tracing the Celtic cross like her brothers that was in a smaller size on her inner wrist.

* * *

It was a little after three AM when Doc said his goodbyes and just asked that they lockup when done. Around four that morning the detectives, Romeo and Patrick headed out leaving the three siblings in the bar.

"You sure you didn't want to spend more time with Patrick?"

"I'm sure. We work well with what we have. Too many nights together stinks of domesticity. 'Sides if we are going out in a blaze of glory soon then I want one last bender with my brothers." She reached over the bar and sat down three shot glasses and filled them with the amber liquid from the bottle.

They sat in a booth and were drinking for a few more hours before Buffy gave in and curled up in the booth between her brothers and went to sleep.

"So Little Lizzie is all grown up now." Conner said this softly and took another shot.

"When did we miss it?" Murphy asked this and took a shot as well. The two sat there taking a few more shots before they stood up and Conner picked up their sleeping sister and placed her on the upstairs bed, the two of them on either side of her coming full circle to her first nights in Boston years ago.

* * *

Two days came quickly. They had gone through the plan more than once and now it was time to put it into motion. Romeo and Buffy were posed as room service attendants. The cart that Romeo was pushing contained the boys tightly crammed in. Once inside the elevator Romeo took the false cover off the cart and Buffy grabbed the bag that was on top of them so they could get out. As the boys were extricating themselves, Buffy was in the corner changing quickly into her jeans and black runners long sleeve shirt with the custom corset over top. She turned around when done and helped the boys go through the guns and load them. They finished that, strapped the weapons to themselves and placed their jackets on then righted the cart Romeo was using.

The elevator chimed and Romeo got off on the fortieth floor with a reminder from Conner to not be late. As the doors closed leaving the three siblings in the small space Conner looked up and asked. "Are you ready for this shit my dear sister and brother?"

Murphy checked his gun before replying. "Let's do some gratuitous violence."

All she could do was give a snort of laughter. She was still giggling when the doors opened to the roof where Greenely and Duffy were waiting in the window washing cart.

"Why is she laughing?" Greenley asked this and the boys just shook their head. The man shrugged and moved aside for the three siblings to get on. Once secure Duffy started their downward descent.

"I never asked Con, where did you come up with this plan?" Buffy asked this and Murphy turned to his brother.

"Yeah, where did you?"

"It happened to be a creative plan!" Conner was quick to defend his plan.

"Probably based out of something you saw in a stupid movie, and here I am again all tying myself up with fucking rope." Murphy said this, waving the rope in Conner's face as he did so. "What's the deal with you and the fucking rope? Honestly."

"It happened to be a very useful thing, so shut it." Conner yelled back in his brother's face.

"You didn't get this from a movie didya?" Duffy asked this.

"This is from the fucking Clint Eastwood movie we watched a few months ago idn't?" Buffy asked this of her brother with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, and it worked like a charm for him."

"Oh, I fucking knew." Murphy threw his hands up in the air. Just as they were about to get into another argument the machine jerked to a stop.

"What the fuck did you do?" Conner turned and asked Greenley this.

"Nothing, it just stopped." The other man looked confused at the panel.

"Well get it going again."

"It won't turn back on again. It just died." Greenely's response earned a triplicate response of "Shit."

"How much time?" Conner yelled this and Buffy looked at her watch.

"Sixty seconds."

"Fuck, if we are even a few seconds late then Romeo is dead."

"What do you plan to do about it then, the machine is dead."

"I'm thinking here Lizzie."

"Well think fucking faster." This was Murphy's brilliant interjection to the conversation.

"Alright, we are down about thirteen floors." Conner started.

"Eleven more to go. Ballpark it." Murphy finished.

"About fifteen feet per floor. We need one sixty five. Count em out by fives." The three of them started counting out their rope and tied it off to the bars of the window washing platform. Once they had it counted off they pulled out their knives and a gun.

"You guys can't do this. Are you crazy?" Greenely tried to stop this madness.

"We got seven seconds boys. Oh and Murphy. I love the fucking rope." Buffy said this with a wink then checked her watch again. "One." She leapt first with a woohoo the brothers right behind her.

"I always thought she was the more sane of the three." Duffy said this and shook his head as he watched them from above as they got close to the window of their target they each took one shot at the glass to make it easier to burst through.

The three McMannus kids burst through the large window and cut their ropes and drew their second weapon. The boys landed on either side of the large buffet table while Buffy landed on the table. The three started firing ,as the momentum from the swinging in kept them sliding towards their targets, before the other people in the room could begin to register what was happening. The ones they missed Romeo got when he kicked in the door to the front room and started to fire as well. Soon it was quiet and the three stood up and approached their last target Yakavetta's son. The one who brought them back. Conner and Murphy put him on his knees and Buffy kissed each cheek as the boys recited their prayer, and punctuated it with the ting of their guns going off in unison. As they each held a hand out for Buffy to stand Romeo could be heard yelling.

"Ding Dong mother fucker. Ding Dong!." His smile was wide and shiny guns held in the air.

"Fuckin' a."

"You said it Romeo."

"Way to knock down the door Rome."

"Okay, time to work." The three siblings then took the pennies they had brought with them and placed them over the eyes of the men they felled.

"Back to the bar?" Buffy asked this and the brothers nodded.

"Need to check in with my uncle." Romeo said this and they parted ways outside the back ally of the Prudentail.

* * *

The three sauntered into McGinty's laughing and picking on each other, Doc smiled at them from his position on the bench on the other side of the bar as he was cleaning glasses. They went over to the bar and took a shot and lit up while they divested themselves of their jackets and weapons.

"Help me with the ties on this will ya?" She turned her left side to them and Murphy helped undo the knot that had formed. "Thanks." She smiled at them as they settled on the bar stools to clean their weapons and she went over near Doc to clean hers.

Half an hour in the doors opened and Greenely came in with the loud cry of "Sack-o-Matic I say." All the while grabbing at his crotch. Conner and Murphy laughed at the man while Buffy rolled her eyes. Suddenly a shot rang out from behind Greenely taking him down. The shooter came in and blasted a few more rounds at the boys as they dove behind the bar and before they could get up he had Doc knocked out and was holding a gun to Buffy's head.

"Put 'em down, throw them over." Still holding the gun to her head she was surprised at the strength he had in him as he had her in a grip with him behind her, his legs and arm that was free was keeping her immobile with a knife to her neck. The boys did not hesitate and threw down their weapons.

"Oh we are gonna have us some fun." She cringed at the hot breath that was being breathed into her ear as the man spoke, the blade on the knife was sharp and blood welled up at the cut. "At first I was just going to kill one of the brothers, make you decide who got to live. Now I think I will make them watch their sister die." He pulled back the hammer on the gun and before he could pull the trigger a shot came out of the back room and nailed him in the hand causing him to drop his gun and knife. They turned and saw their father emerging from that room with a look of cold determination on his face. She was able to struggle a bit and get free allowing the now crying gunman to clutch his hand on the ground and she jumped behind the bar to call for an ambulance.

She couldn't hear what was being said with the phone to her ear, but she saw her father load two revolvers with one bullet each and hand one to short and angry. She shot a glance to where the boys were and saw Greenely still and amended her request from ambulance to coroner then hung up.

"Conner, Murphy." She called to her brothers as she saw her father and the man raise the guns to eachothers heads.

"Da?"

"Easy boys."

"Didn't tell me to go easy." Buffy muttered this and threw the discarded weapons from earlier at her brothers and picked up another off the floor.

"You too Elizabeth."

The did not listen, after the first pull of the trigger they surrounded the man and cocked their weapons.

"Jesus fucking Christ! I'm going to blow this mother fuckers brains out right now."

"Conner! Son, Daddy's working." The three reluctantly backed off for a bit.

"No matter how this turns out. You die today." The three dropped to their knees in prayer as their father kept playing this game looking for information. Soon a shot rang out and they looked up, never so relieved to see their father still standing.

* * *

With all the investigations going on at McGinty's a call to Romeo had them a place to stay for the night at his uncle's house. The three siblings passed out in the living room shortly after they got there, leaving the other three still awake to entertain themselves.

They slept and they shared a dream, it made her feel a part of them fully for the first time. They were in McGinty's again. The man she now knew as Rocco was standing behind the bar. The three lit up and inhaled as a cat walked in front of them on the bar top. After the cat passed Rocco set out four shot glasses and began to fill them.

"You look good Roc." Conner said this first.

"You three don't."

"Well, we lost a friend." Murphy said this solomnly.

"I know, but he was a big boy." Rocco said this to console them.

"But if it weren't for us maybe the two of ya." Conner started and Rocco cut him off.

"What? Would never have stood for anything?"

"What are you talking about Roc?" Murphy asked this with all seriousness.

"I made my decision and stood right next to you, and it was an honor. I wouldn't change that for the whole world. Not one minute of it. Now, slanja." Rocco held up his shot and the three sibling followed suit and downed it stacking the glasses on the bar on top of one another.

"You know, he was sortof a badass through wasn't he?" Murphy asked this.

"Shades of Eastwood." Conner said this.

"No, Charlie Bronson." Buffy threw her two cents in.

"Duke fucking Wayne." Rocco stated this and the three looked at each other and smiled in agreement and joined in on that war cry.

Suddenly they were on the roof of the Prudential, Rocco went to the end of the building and spread his arms wide as he spoke. "Men build things. Then we die. It's in out fucking DNA. That's what we do!"

"And when it all falls down?" Murphy was getting into this.

"We build it right back up again."

"But this time bigger, better!" Conner was now in this as well.

"Look! Look at what we can do. You think the men who built all this had it easy?"

"Hard men!" Murphy responded to Rocco's question.

"Doing hard shit!" Conner joined in once again.

"And that give me a hard on." Buffy giggled and Rocco continued. "You know, but not in a gay way."

"Of course Roc."

"Yeah that goes without saying."

After that they were now on center ice and Rocco was still in full on inspirational mode.

"I am so sick of this self help, twelve step, leftover hippie generation bullshit."

"They don't want you to do anything! Right, just sit there." Conner obviously had something to get off of his chest.

"Don't drink." Buffy joined in this time.

"Don't smoke." Murphy added.

"Don't drive fast." Conner rounded them out.

"Fuck it. Do it all I say." Rocco exclaimed this. "Real men hide their feelings. Why?"

"Because it's none of your fucking business." The three men all stated this and she once again found herself rolling her eyes and smiling. Rocco continued on as he walked away. "Men do not cry, men do not pout, men jack you in the fucking jaw and say..." He stepped to the side and Greenely came skating out and said "Thanks for coming out." and shot a puck into the goal.

The three siblings sat up with a deep breath then looked at each other. They could feel the gaze of their father on them. They turned their heads to look at him and heard him sigh.

"Come into the other room with me. I have a story to tell you about your Da." The three got up and followed their father into the other room and Roman's uncle closed the sliding door to give them privacy. Now when Whistler had given her a choice so many years ago she saw part of his story of how he got started in all of this, the eventual betrayal of his best friend was a new twist to her.

"Why didn't you flip on him them Da?" Conner asked this.

"Because he had heard of the birth of my two sons."

"Why did he do it Da?" Buffy asked this.

"That is a something I cannot wait to ask him."

* * *

"Where are you going there Lizzie?" Murphy asked Buffy this as she put on her coat, he frowned at the bandage on her neck.

"Wanted to go tell Patrick goodbye. Tell Da and Conner for me? I will be back before we have to leave in the morning." Murphy nodded and she left the house, closing the front door quietly behind her.

It didn't take her long to walk to the area of town where Patrick had his shop. With quick steps she made her way down into the warehouse loading dock entrance and used her never before used key to gain entrance. The moment she closed the door she heard the cocking of a gun behind her.

"Hands in the air and turn around slowly." She smiled at the voice and spoke as she turned.

"If you wanted to play hostage and negotiator all you had to do was ask."

"Jesus Liz, are you okay? Why didn't you call?" He enabled the safety back on the gun and holstered it as he approached her.

"You gave me a key. Thought I would try once to be a normal girlfriend and use it."

"No one would ever accuse you of being normal there Liz."

"I know, not cut out for normal in any life. I'm tired." At her admission he brought her into his arms and held her close, he didn't ask how she got hurt, just gently stroked the bandage that was there.

"Let me finish closing things up and I will join you." She nodded against his chest and made her way to his bedroom, once in there she changed out of her tighter clothes and put on one of the discarded dress shirts of Patrick's that were lying around then climbed into bed. It seemed as if she just closed her eyes when she felt the bed dip when he climbed in and gathered her to him.

"Love you." Her sleepy admission made him smile.

"Love you too Elizabeth." He kissed the top of her head and soon followed her into sleep.

* * *

Buffy woke up before Patrick did and got out of bed. She put on her pants and shoes then picked up her shirt and grimaced at the feeling of it with the caked on blood. She threw it in his dirty clothes hamper and went over to his side of the bed.

"I'm stealing your shirt. Threw mine in your hamper. Have to go meet Da and the boys." He nodded sleepily and rolled over, grabbing her arm, then pulled her down to sit on the bed next to him. He reached up his hand and held it to the side of her face.

"Shirt theft is the worst crime. I would know, I deal with a lot of questionable people." She smiled at that. "You go and do what needs to be done. I love you."

"I love you too. So much." She leaned down and kissed him as if she may never see him again, and after the stories of the man they were up against, she was not sure she would. Reluctantly she pulled back and stood up.

"Let me drive you." She shook her head at his offer.

"Let me leave now while I still can." He nodded slowly and let her walk out the bedroom. He did not move again until he heard the front door close, and once it did he closed his eyes and prayed.

* * *

They boys raised more of an eye at her attire, more accurately Patrick's attire she stole, when she arrived than her father did. All he did was hand her over a garment bag with the clothing she was to wear for this meeting.

The intel was given to them on where to find Louis by Agent Bloom, they had the van loaded and were now pulling up in front of the church. It was relatively empty. No one said a word as four of them all dressed in black walked in with her in a brightly colored dress and beige pea coat and headed straight to the front, kneeling in prayer then as quickly as they came in they left.

The ride was a tense quiet on the way to the place where the man that betrayed their father resided. They parked down the street and Buffy got out with her father and put the white kid gloves on her hands.

"Don't forget my fucking guns boys." The twins nodded and gave her a grin.

"Yes Miss Lizzie."

"Anything you say Miss Lizzie." She flipped them both off and turned around to take her father's crooked arm as they walked into the lion's den. Once inside the faint sound of music could be heard from somewhere out back, Noah took off his rosary and hung it on the banister of the stairs before they continued on. The sounds of music got louder and they found themselves in a garden with the man that was once her father's friend.

Noah took a seat across from the man and Buffy stood to his side like the dutiful daughter. He slowly took off his hat and straighten his hair before addressing the man. While he did that Louis turned off the record player.

"Hello Louis."

"Noah. Elizabeth."

"We haven't much time."

"My garden, she's beautiful no?" Her father raised an eye at the man from behind his sunglasses, then he continued. "But I forget, you are blind to beauty. You are...you are a destroyer Noah." Buffy bit the inside of her cheek to keep from commenting at the old man.

"You know my reasons."

"Ah, but do you? You think it's for your father." Louis spoke again and Buffy got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "No, you were born a killer, dead, le morte. It is in the blood." Her father shook is head at that statement.

"No."

"No." Louis repeated Noah's protest and picked up two photos from beside the ancient record player. "Explain this?" He threw the photos onto her father's lap and she could see them clearly from where she stood behind him. One was a faded black and white photo of her brothers and their mother right after they were born. The other was an almost stalker shot photo with her and the boys shortly before they left the states years ago. "You were not there to raise them, did not even know of one of them. Not one single day, but how closely they all follow their father's footsteps. They've got your blood Noah. Your anger."

Buffy bent forward and whispered in her father's ear, a hand on his shoulder. "He is a lying old man, Da. You see beauty, you love in your own way. Destiny has chosen you and your offspring to fight for those who cannot." Her father reached back and patted her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze before taking off his sunglasses.

"And you? What are you?"

"I am your creator. You see we were opposed." Buffy tuned out Louis' rant for a bit, taking a look beyond the age stained glass walls to try and make out how bad of an ambush was waiting for them. She was able to spot five men before she tuned back into the conversation.

"Why did you sell me out Louis?"

"You can never understand."

"Twenty five years. Try me."

"They were building something."

"They?"

"They were creating something. An empire."

"They?" Her father asked this again, more anger in his tone.

"I was helping them! I used you Noah to destroy their competition. To cut out their cancers. I earned my place among them."

"Is this your place amongst them? Because all I see is an old man in a broke down palace. Sitting in a garden."

"The scorpion and the frog both lose everything. Without you I was no longer useful to them, they cast me out."

"Why the priest Louis? Why all this? Why now?"

"Because I knew it would bring you and your children. You would destroy the agitators for me, clear my way and this time I will take what is mine. Just a little. For my, old age. After all, I have never been a greedy man." After this statement, Louis looked to the record player once more and her father nodded his consent. As the music started up it was an odd soundtrack to the death and destruction that was about to happen. Her father stood up and shed his coat, and pulled two guns from his vest at the same time. Once the coat was on the ground Buffy was able to grab the gun that was hidden in the holster at his back and pull it to help until the boys came in with her weapons.

Bullets flew everywhere for a a full minute as her brothers crashed in through the glass ceiling from above and kept on shooting. She heard them call her name and before she could catch the guns being tossed her way she felt a sting in her head then a blinding pain that caused her vision to go white, then there was nothing.

"Lizzie!" The boys cried out in unison and kept shooting as they rushed to her side. A bullet wound ripped from above her right eye and the track continued on in a line that removed a section of her hair and scalp. She was still breathing so they were relieved and took up defensive positions around her and continued to fire. They saw Romeo go down in a hail of bullets, then as they fanned out a bit from the prone body of their sister they took one hit after another to their own bodies as they rushed to get to their father who had taken a hit.

"Bring me to him." Each man took a side and brought their father over to stand where Louis sat in stunned silence. "I'll see you in a minute Louis." The other man nodded as Noah pointed his gun and took a shot one last time before collapsing under the strain of his injuries. As he lay on the ground next to where Buffy lay, the boys took up a position on either side of him as be spoke.

"Your sister?"

"She is fine, Da. Everything will be fine, just please don't leave Da." Conner said this.

"Keep her safe. You hear me?" Each nodded.

"Look, look boys. They sky. It's so beautiful."

"'Tis Da."

"It's beautiful." The boys were crying and spotted the photos their father had stored in his hat. They took them and placed them in the pocket of Buffy's jacket. Murphy picked up their sister and they slowly made their way out of the rundown mansion, only to be met with police and FBI. Surrounded on all sides they looked at each other then down at their still unconscious sister and dropped their weapons. Conner knelt to the ground with his hands on top of his head and yelled out.

"She is an innocent bystander. She needs medical attention." One of the SWAT men slowly approached and put down his weapon as he took the injured bundle from Murphy, who then knelt down as well with his hands on top of his head. They saw their sister get put into an ambulance and drive away.

* * *

Buffy opened her eyes and saw white everywhere, heard a strange beeping noise and the heavy scent of cleaning products. She moved her head and groaned at the pain in her head.

"You might want to avoid that there."

"Patrick?"

"Yes love, it's me. Here take a drink." She took a drink from the straw in the water glass and sighed.

"What happened?" He did not reply, just sighed.

"Da?"

"I'm sorry Lizzie."

"Conner and Murphy?"

"Alive but in HOAG."

"Romeo?"

"Coma, also in HOAG."

"Why am I here then?"

"From what I have heard on the streets, they claimed you were an innocent bystander." She sniffed and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Da planned the out from the beginning with the way he had me dress didn' he?"

"I think he did."

"We have to get the boys out of there. How long have I been out?" She tried to sit up and fell back almost immediately.

"You have been out for weeks. They are still alive in there. Seedy underbelly has it's own network to pass messages. As little information as possible sent, just enough to make sure they were alive and the same for you."

"When can I get out of here?"

"Soon. Then we can work on the plan to get them out." Buffy reached out her hand to take one of Patrick's and they sat like that for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – See chapter one

* * *

It had been two and a half years since that day that her family had been split from her. She was not allowed to visit her brothers in that time, if anyone caught on to her being there it could place her and them in further danger.

The contacts they had inside had informed them that Romeo had woken up, she relayed that message to Romeo's uncle as soon as she found out. His sentence was short compared to her brothers so he was going to be released soon.

Patrick's operation had grown even larger since then as well.

In those years Buffy had been working with new and old connections and today was the payoff of all that hard work. She took her time getting out of the limo that had taken her to HAOG.

"How do I look?" Patrick, Romeo and Smecker grinned at her and Eunice rolled her eyes.

"You look fine love, now go get those two idiots of yours." She grinned and got out of the car, the wind made a mess of her hair and she wrapped her coat more tightly around her. Once she was escorted inside she took a moment to fix her hair to once again cover the scar that was still there.

She heard them before she saw them and nearly cried at the sound of their voices bickering.

"Who the fuck is requesting a meeting with us?"

"Calm the fuck down Murph. Let's hear them out."

"You calm the fuck down." The arguing was followed by the familiar sounds of them scuffling and she laughed out loud.

The fighting stopped and she heard Conner call out. "Lizzie?"

"Really, only took my laughter all these years to get you two dumbasses to stop fighting?" She approached the table where they were cuffed and smiled. They stood as much as the length of the chain would allow and she embraced them, inhaling deeply. "I missed you boys."

"What are you doing here? It is not safe."

"Shush Conner, don't be such a worry wart." She went over to the door and knocked for the guard. "We are ready." The man nodded and came into the room with keys and unlocked the cuffs that held them, and another guard carried in the clothing that Buffy had brought with her.

"Get changed boys, time for you to come home." They changed in silence, just taking in the changes that their sister had gone through, more sophisticated may be the best way to describe it, the wedding ring on her finger may have something to do with it as well. They followed her out of the prison and into the sun, the three falling back into a pattern of placing the sunglasses on their faces at the same time. "Get your smoke on now boys, no smoking in the vehicle." She tossed them each a pack and a lighter and they raised an eye at her statement as they lit up.

"Why is that then?" Conner asked this and she shook her head.

"Now that would be spoiling the surprise, so shush." She crooked out her elbows and each brother took an arm as she led them to the limo.

"Lizzie. You didn't do anything stupid to get us out did you?"

"Yes, I became a mob boss so you would have to eliminate me. Put out the smokes and get in." They each dropped the butt to the ground and climbed into the limo behind her.

"Got a call from Doc, Liam and Noah are awake and hungry. Threatening to give them whiskey. Good to see you boyos. Your sister has been a monster to live with for the past two years." Patrick smiled at her as she hit him in the arm.

"Ha, I blame the hormones for most of that. Call Doc back and tell him if he gives my boys alcohol I will end him, slowly." The brothers looked around the limo and listened to the conversation with confusion.

"Okay, I think we have been covert long enough. Strings have been pulled and you two are free of all charges. It was a case of mistaken identity by a former FBI agent that has since been fired, you two were deep undercover by the direct order of our dear Smecker this whole time. Eunice provided the 'proper' documentation, and the state and agency is going to be providing compensation for the wrong doings." She paused for a moment then hit the intercom button. "Is Annie awake?"

"Yeah, the little hell raiser is awake.." The car came to a stop and the side door opened and a pink wrapped bundle was handed back to her by the driver, none other than Romeo. She took her daughter from the man and smiled at him.

"Thanks Rome, take us to McGinty's and you can have your boy bonding time. Conner, Murphy, meet Annabelle McMannus, your niece." The two brothers looked at their sister then down at the small infant in her arms.

"McMannus?" Conner asked with a raised eyebrow in Patrick's direction.

"When Liz puts her mind to something all you can do is go with it." The three men gave a knowing look to the woman in question, who just smiled sweetly.

"How old is she?" Murphy asked this.

"Three weeks today."

"Are you feeling okay?" Again Murphy asked the question, as he looked at their little sister with concern.

"I am fine, Murph." She smiled at her brother and then Conner cleared his throat.

"Can I hold her?"

"You never have to ask, of course you can." Buffy handed over the tiny girl and placed her in the arms of her uncle.

"Look at this Murph. We're uncles." The joy in Conner's voice made her smile.

"That we are Conner, that we are." Murphy reached out a hand and gently stroked the face of the baby.

They arrived at McGinty's in no time and the boys followed at a more sedate pace behind them all.

"Ma, ma, ma!" Two small voices cried out and came toddling out from behind the bar and came running towards Buffy. She handed Annie to Patrick and bent down and picked up one boy with each arm and stood up.

"Boys, meet your Uncles Conner and Murphy. Conner, Murphy these are my oldest Liam and Noah."

"Jesus, Lizzie. How many are you plan on havin'?" Conner asked this in a playful tone.

"Three is enough, twin boys and a sister to get them out of trouble. Worked out well for us didn'it? Come on little men of mine, let's get you fed. Patrick can you feed Annie?" With a nod in her direction she made her way to the former store room that was now a play center for the kids. They all took up a table after she left the room and Doc handed Patrick a bottle.

"So what did happen while we were out of the game?"

"We have been working on getting you out for a few years. Patrick and Elizabeth were working their own angles. With the help of Romeo's uncle, they made the right connections, started climbing the ladder. She controls the East side of Boston now, everything is on the up and up, she just does what needs to be done on the not so up and up to protect the people. Crime is down sixty percent since she took full control last year."

"She wasn't kidding then, she is a mob boss?"

"Well she would call it seedy underbelly manager."

"'Course she would."

"She did what she had to in order to get you out of there. Probably would have happened sooner, but the pregnancy with the twins took a lot out of her. She was already pregnant with them before she left Ireland, we didn't know until they informed me when she was in the coma."

"Jesus, if we had known, she never would have been there."

"I know that, we all know that. You two are more protective than anyone of her. We just wanted you to know that she built everything that she did in order to get you out and back to what you were called to do. She does what she can, but she has a family of her own now to protect. She wants you safe and always have a place to come back to." The group continued talking for a while, only Patrick got up and left the table to put Annabelle down to sleep in the play room and came back out. He sat down and lit up a cigarette, the others following his motion now that they baby was out of the room. They heard the door open and a sleepy looking Buffy exited and sat down next to Patrick with a head on his shoulder, eyes closed.

"Pushed yourself today."

"I know."

"Told you not to."

"I know."

"You are supposed to be on maternity leave, letting your second in command take over."

"I know, but he is a hot headed Mexican." She smiled softly as she Romeo began to make noises of protest.

"Wait, you made Romeo your second?"

"He stood beside us all in a battle that was not his to fight, how could I not? Plus, the boys love him, their favorite babysitter." Buffy let out a yawn as she said this.

"Okay, let's get you and the kids home. Here is the key card boys, come on when you are ready."

"Where is home these days?" Conner asked this and Buffy opened her eyes and gave him an evil grin.

"Fortieth floor of the Prudential. Apparently there was a revenge shootout there and no one wants to own it. The Saints Curse and all." The laughter of the table followed Patrick, Buffy and Romeo out as they gathered the kids and headed to the Prudential.

* * *

Four hours later the brother found themselves using the key card given to them and entered into the suite that they had a showdown in years ago. The panic room was still there, one would assume for the children now. The walls were not covered with pretentious artwork but with photos of family and friends. To anyone who did not know, this was not the place of a mob boss, but of just a family. As they walked further into the living room they spotted two framed photos on the mantle next to the photos of children, it was the two photos that they had slipped into her pocket years ago. Exhausted and not knowing what room to go to they took up the chairs and passed out.

They were ripped from sleep by the turning on of a light above them and reached for guns that were not there. A soft voice stopped them. "Just me boys, sorry about the light, didn't know you were sleeping out here." Buffy yawned as she spoke and made her way to the kitchen, they followed after her, not having a real alone moment with her since they got out. Now they could really tell the difference in their sister. With her hair pulled back to sleep in, they could see the scar left behind by the bullet, the other scars that were new to her body since they had been incarcerated. The signs of motherhood finally made her look as if a stiff breeze would no longer blow her away. She grew up and seemed so much older than them at this moment, with just the air of calmness in her demeanor.

"You two going to stay?"

"We would like to, if you have the room and do not mind."

"If I minded you never would have gotten a key, not that it would have stopped you. You would have just used the window again." She smiled at them, her face lighting up.

"Patrick being good to you?"

"Yes, Conner. He is being good to me."

"You need help with anything?"

"No Murph, I got it. Just have to fix a bottle for Annie." As she opened the fridge they both spotted the four cakes in there.

"Dear Little Lizzie. Are you running a crime ring for cakes?"

"Forget you saw those." She quickly closed the door and stood in front of it.

"Now Lizzie, you know that will not stop us." The two came around the bar top and Murphy lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder while Conner opened the fridge and looked inside. That was the scene Patrick walked in on, Buffy thrown over Murphy's shoulder and was pounding on his back while Conner was examining the cakes. She shook his head and bounced Annie in his arms while he retrieved the bottle from the counter. All three siblings froze.

"Carry on." Patrick walked out of the room feeding the baby as he walked and the three siblings started to laugh.

"Okay, tomorrow is your birthday."

"Is it? We forgot."

"I figured you would."

"Why are there four cakes?"

"Tomorrow are the twins birthday too. Well today actually I guess." Murphy placed her back on her feet in front of them.

"The boys share our birthday?"

"Yes, so I have four times the trouble every year from this day forward."

"So which one is older out of the two of them?" Conner asked this and threw an arm over her shoulder, Murphy did the same on her other side and they guided her into the living room.

"So not telling the two of you. That will be for their sister to know and to tell them when she deems it time. Just like I will tell you one day." She smiled cheekily at them and sighed as she sat down on the couch in between them, head in Conner's lap and feet in Murphy's. Time apart did not matter at this point with the familiar pose. As she drifted back off to sleep between them the last thing she uttered before succumbing was. "Happy birthday boys, Conner is the oldest."


End file.
